The Trusted Guide Podcast with Mark Slatin

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#67 The Power of Storytelling with Data with Leslie Pagel Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

Imagine a world where AI not only understands but acts on unsolicited customer and employee conversations, tapping into a treasure trove of data — from contact center chats to doctor's scribbles. Leslie Pagel is a CX thought leader who led organizations across industries in CX strategy during her 20 plus years at Walker. Now she's helping healthcare organizations provide better experiences by empowering them to tell stories with data. We talk about ways that AI can be used to tell stories that simply couldn't be captured without the technology that's available today. In this episode:

Utilization of machine learning to identify customer care frictions
Processing of unstructured data like doctor notes and health records
The Role of Storytelling in Data Presentation
AI's role in improving healthcare strategies
The Future of Surveys in Customer Insights

Hear Leslie share her mission of leveraging AI to help humans understand humans. Meet Leslie Leslie Pagel is the Chief Evangelist of Authenticx – a conversational AI company dedicated to improving the way healthcare companies engage with patients and customers. In this role, she creates awareness, across the healthcare industry, of more efficient and effective ways for healthcare organizations to leverage the authentic customer voice to achieve the desired health and business outcomes. With over two decades of working with customer and patient experience teams, Leslie helps clients actualize the voice of the customer to show how these voices prompt meaningful action. Here's a link to Conscious Capitalism: https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/

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#66: Rob Markey on Building Consistent Loyalty Through Trust and Emotional Connection, Part 2 of 2 Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

What are some of the most common mistakes that leaders make when it comes to customer loyalty? Join customer and employee loyalty expert, NPS co-inventor, co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0, and world renown CX thought leader, Rob Markey in Part 2 of our conversation on value, loyalty, and loyalty programs. In this episode: - Common loyalty pitfalls - The impact of broken trust on loyalty - Where Southwest and Delta Airlines misstepped and broke loyalty - Link between rational, experiential, and emotional aspects of customer evaluation - How the three lens we use to assess value work together If you haven't already listened to Part 1, I highly encourage you to do so. Meet Rob Rob Markey is a leader in Bain's Customer Strategy & Marketing practice. He joined our firm in 1990, and has led assignments in the financial services, telecommunications, retailing, media, professional services, health care, building equipment and food processing industries.

Rob is an expert in customer and employee loyalty, new product development and customer service strategies. He has extensive experience with direct marketing, new customer acquisition and cost reduction for clients in the retail banking, credit card and insurance businesses.

Rob leads the NPS Loyalty Forum, a group of approximately 35 senior executives from loyalty-leading companies around the world, such as The Vanguard Group, American Express, JetBlue, Telstra, TD Bank, LEGO, Progressive Insurance, PwC and Intuit. He has published numerous articles on various aspects of customer experience and loyalty in publications such as the Harvard Business Review. He is the co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0: How Net Promoter Companies Thrive in a Customer-Driven World, by Harvard Business Review Press, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Rob is also the host of The Customer Confidential Podcast.

He formerly served as head of the firm's Customer Strategy & Marketing practice.

Prior to joining Bain, he developed competitive strategy, led business development and served in product marketing for LEXIS/NEXIS and the IBM Corporation.

Rob earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of Brown University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.

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#65: The 3 Dimensions of Customer Value Creation with NPS Co-Inventor, Rob Markey, Part 1 of 2 Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

The Three Dimensions of Customer Value Creation

Rob Markey ought to know a thing or two about customer loyalty.

Rob was a CX expert and thought leader at Bain long before he and his colleague Fred Reichheld introduced Net Promoter to the world.

He is a leader in Bain's Customer Customer Strategy and Marketing practice and the co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0 with Fred Reichheld.

This episode was originally intended as a deep dive on customer loyalty through the customer lifecycle for my Michigan State University Master's students but it was just too good to not share in an episode.

As usual, Rob brings insights and wisdom to empower anyone interested in creating value for their customers starting with the three dimensions of value according Bain uses in their approach with clients.

Also included in this episode:

👉 The 3 dimensions of value

👉 Examples of differentiating from competitors through unique features and exceptional customer service

👉 How different dimensions of value are weighed differently at various customer lifecycle stages

👉 Focusing on revenue and cost forecasting in a language understood by stakeholders

👉 Copying versus learning and synthesizing from others

👉 Warning against going down a technology or data-led path without clear goals

👉 Empirical evidence on NPS as a predictor of a company's growth rate

and a whole lot more, so much so that we had to break it into two episodes.

Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss Part 2 and insights from future episodes.

Meet Rob Rob Markey is a leader in Bain's Customer Strategy & Marketing practice. He joined our firm in 1990, and has led assignments in the financial services, telecommunications, retailing, media, professional services, health care, building equipment and food processing industries.

He formerly served as head of the firm's Customer Strategy & Marketing practice.

Prior to joining Bain, he developed competitive strategy, led business development and served in product marketing for LEXIS/NEXIS and the IBM Corporation.

Rob earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a graduate of Brown University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.

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#64: The Wheel of Progress: Designing Experiences Based on Deep Customer Desires with Eckhart Boehme Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

Eckhart climbed through the ranks at Microsoft leveraging his background as an industrial engineer turned customer experience maestro. He sheds light on the transformative "jobs to be done" concept and how understanding the true gains, pains, and solutions can revolutionize how we approach customer satisfaction. We'll also hear how Eckhart's method veers away from traditional journey maps to dissect the full 360-cycle of customer progress. With a deep dive into a real-world case study, we'll see how his process not only saves companies from costly missteps but also propels them towards delivering profound customer-centric solutions. In this episode: - What does it mean to focus on customer "jobs to be done" - Importance of understanding customer gains, pains, and solutions - Utilizing the "wheel of progress" for structured data capturing - Conducting and consolidating customer interviews - The five-step process to understand and prioritize customer jobs This outside-in approach to understanding customer desires to design and deliver improved experiences that connect to customers emotions is groundbreaking. Meet Eckhart Eckhart Boehme is the former Curriculum Architect Marketing Excellence @Microsoft Corporation. Eckhart is the founder and managing director of strategy consulting firm unipro solutions and an internationally recognized Jobs to Be Done expert. He was the initiator and co-developer of The Wheel of Progress® Canvas - a tool for structuring qualitative customer research. He is the developer the Customer Progress Design method. He was the subject matter expert to the German editions of the Jobs to Be Done "bible" Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen et. al. and Eric Ries' The Startup Way.

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#63: Secrets to Success with Chick-fil-A Leader Elizabeth Dixon Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

Elizabeth's professional journey is a tapestry woven with innovation, creativity, and dedication to enhancing the customer experience. With a career spanning over 18 years, including a significant tenure at the esteemed Chick-fil-A, Elizabeth's expertise has been sought after by illustrious brands such as Disney, Gap, and YMCA, as well as the Cooper Aerobics Center. As a serial entrepreneur, Elizabeth couples her business acumen with her artistic flair, notably stepping into the world of fashion as a pajama designer. Her passion for customer service culminated in authoring "The Power of Customer Experience," where she illuminates her insights through five pivotal elements designed to leave a lasting impact in the business sphere. Some of the practical tips from this episode include:

How Chick-fil-A operationalizes CX
The importance of care and Empowerment to business outcomes
Leadership's role in building a customer-centric culture
A victor mindset vs. a victim mentality
Insights from her new book, The Strength of Purpose
Lessons from cheerleading flops
The power of "repotting"
Her new line of comfy sleepwear

What a classy individual who has a seemingly endless amount of energy and inspiration! Meet Elizabeth Making the Daunting Doable

Elizabeth Dixon is an engaging business leader and serial entrepreneur connecting with executives and their teams, integrating strategy, innovation, leadership, and personal development in speeches that ignite conversation and inspire purposeful action.

She shares secrets to creating exceptional customer experiences for audiences world-wide at live events and through virtual video resources, consulting, and The Power of Customer Experience, her debut book outlining proven elements for lasting impact in what has become the most crucial component of business success.

Blessed to work for extraordinary brands including Disney World, Gap, YMCA, and Cooper Aerobics Center, mentored by renowned leaders including Dan Cathy and Horst Schulze, Elizabeth brings almost 20 years of experience as a leader at the Chick-fil-A Support Center, where she served in Service & Hospitality, Strategy, Research & Development, and Human Resources. She has also collaborated with the great brands of Southwest Airlines, Drury Hotels, Zappos, and Wegmans.

Always growing, always creating, Elizabeth's current role is Executive Director of Trilith Foundation, reporting to Dan Cathy, Chairman of Chick-fil-A. She has founded, operated, and sold several small businesses while coaching emerging entrepreneurs toward success in achieving their business goals.

In her leisure time, Elizabeth enjoys being a student of cooking with her daughter, an average backyard soccer player with her son, a vigorous reader, and an adventure enthusiast with her family. https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethdixonspeaks/ Elizabeth Dixon bio - https://qrcd.org/45Oe www.slumbersleepwear.com https://vimeo.com/889308776

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#62: Engaging Customers Throughout Their Lifecycle: Key Insights and Actionable Frameworks with Valerie Peck Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

One of my favorite stories is The Fisherman's Dilemma. It's a tale of an angler who wants to bring a treasure trove of fish home to his loving wife and family. Although he uses every strategy and tactic, he discovers a whole in the bottom of the net. Regardless of his harvest, the hole stole his bounty. Customer acquisition is an important first step for organizations to prosper. But much like the fisherman in the story, unless you've got a strategy to engage customers beyond their initial onboarding, they will slip through the hole in the net. Join the CEO and Founder of SuiteCX, and CX thought leader Valerie Peck as she shares some insights on how to engage customers throughout their lifecycle including:

The Importance of Customer Engagement
Consistency across different customer touchpoints
Influence of departmental and channel silos on engagement
Importance of engaging and enabling employees
Technology as an Enabler, Not the Solution

Valerie was featured in this Creating Emotional Connections: The Power of Loyalty Programs with Valerie Peck: https://qrcd.org/42Mn

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#61: The Alien and Clark Kent: Demystifying CX Leadership from AAA's Head of CX, Bryan Sander Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

What if you 1 in 4 Americans relied on the experience you led? 60,000,000 Americans rely on AAA for their roadside assistance when things don't go as planned. Bryan Sander, CCXP MBA, leads customer experience for AAA and joins me on the Delighted Customers Podcast (episode will drop tomorrow). Bryan's advice for CX leaders interested in strategies for growing credibility? He's assembled a CX team of over people helping AAA deliver outstanding and consistently good experiences to their members. Bryan is one of the sharpest minds among CX practitioners who I've ever met. You will not want to miss a minute. Tons of practical insights from one of my favorite CX leaders including: 👉 Use of ROI models and financial tooling to show the CX impact 👉 Understanding how the Rider and the Elephant metaphor can help you influence decision-makers 👉 The Alien and Clark Kent 👉 Bryan's opinion of Fred Reichheld's Earned Growth Model Powerful!

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#60: How Emotions and Memory Shape Business Outcomes with Colin Shaw Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

Colin Shaw is one of the original CX thought leaders and podcast host. He brings a fresh perspective to what drives customer loyalty and the "why" behind loyalty. He predicts memory maps will replace journey maps because of the difference between our experiencing-self and our remembering-self. This episode is packed with insights that leaders can use immediately including:

Colin Shaw is one of the original CX thought leaders and has authored seven bestselling books on customer experience.

He brings a fresh perspective to what drives customer loyalty and the "why" behind loyalty. He predicts memory maps will replace journey maps because of the difference between our experiencing-self and our remembering-self.

This episode is packed with insights that leaders can use immediately including:

1. Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Customer Experience by understanding and responding to customer emotions

2. Reorientation of Loyalty Perspectives - The criticality of emotional attachment over rational decision-making in driving loyalty

3. Memory & Experience in Customer Decision Making- Evaluation of past experiences and memories in shaping customer decisions

4. Why the implications of the peak/end rule should impact experience design

5. The significance of designing customer experiences for evoking desired emotions

Meet Colin! Colin Shaw is an original pioneer of Customer Experience. LinkedIn has recognized him as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers', where he has over 292,000 followers and is one of the exclusive Top Voices which is the official LinkedIn influencer program. Colin's company, Beyond Philosophy, LLC, has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the leading management consultancies for the last four years. He is the co-host of the highly successful business podcast The Intuitive Customer, rated in the top 5% of all podcasts by BuzzSprout. He has also authored seven bestselling books on the subject of customer experience. Colin's LinkedIn newsletter has over 70,000 subscribers.Colin is also a keynote speaker and commentator on CNN, BBC TV, NPR, LBC, and other media publications.

Before this, Shaw was a senior executive in one of the world's largest telecoms companies, where he led 3,500 people in sales, marketing, and customer service.

Colin Shaw founded Beyond Philosophy in 2002 as one of the world's first customer experience consultancies. Under his leadership, Beyond Philosophy has helped many of the world's most prestigious organizations improve their customer experience, including American Express, FedEx, and Caterpillar. Using Beyond Philosophy's methodology, the world's largest container shipping company Maersk Line improved its Net Promoter Score®* by 40 points in 30 months, which gave a 10 percent rise in shipping volumes.

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#59: Managing the Sludge Caused by "Red Tape" that Impacts Customer Experiences with Dr. Stephanie Thum Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Stephanie Thum knows a thing or two about red tape. In fact, she just got her PhD in Red Tape Theory! In this episode, she provides a fresh perspective, discussing the pros and cons of red tape, and its elusive cousins, green and pink tape. Using these insights, we explore how these nuances can greatly impact customer experience and employees' engagement. In this episode:

Red tape holds complexities: It has both its virtues, such as providing structure and thwarting fraud, but it can also lead to unnecessary impediments and sludge, ultimately leading to employee disengagement and customer dissatisfaction.
Handling red tape: Increasing customer experience and reducing friction should be top priorities. Practices like human-centric design, tapping into the voice of the customer, and intensive data monitoring can help manage the burden of red tape efficiently.
Role of leadership: As roles change and evolve, leaders need to tune into the needs and perceptions of their followers. This could involve managing the negative effects of red tape, and ensuring effective communication to avoid potential blind spots.
New buzzword in business: Sludge! It's about those friction-filled administrative processes that eat up time and money. Want to fight the sludge? Steph shares valuable insights

Don't miss this insight-packed episode Meet Stephanie! I'm a senior professional with a proven track record as a customer experience practitioner and consultant, now part of SAP's global executive/board communication team. With roots in professional services business development, account teams, broadcasting, and content development, I've developed an expertise in customer- and business-oriented communication, leadership, and project management. My journey isn't limited to the global technology corporate world; I'm also a small business founder with experience in the non-profit and federal government settings. I recently completed a lifelong goal--to obtain a Ph.D. My research focused on global government administrative leaders' experiences with red tape frictions in their work. As a student I produced multiple pieces of peer-reviewed, published scholarship. These academic pursuits deepened my understanding of the intricacies of the human experience, organizational management, and extremely complex global leadership that I continue to apply to my professional endeavors.

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#58: Creating Emotional Connections: The Power of Loyalty Programs with Valerie Peck Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Customer loyalty is the currency that sustains growth in almost any company. It means better business outcomes in key metrics like:

Increased Revenues
More Referrals
Lower Cost to Serve
Fewer Complaints
Greater Forgiveness
and much more.

The question Valerie Peck, long time CX luminary, thought leader, and Managing Director of SuiteCX and I explore is what role do loyalty programs play and what role should they play in earning customer loyalty that's more than transactional. In this episode, we explore some important questions such as: 1. How do loyalty programs impact customer behavior, and what are the emotional components at play in these programs? 2. What are the potential downsides of loyalty programs, and how can companies navigate these to maintain customer loyalty without negative impacts? 3. In what ways could companies strategically design loyalty programs to drive repurchase and revenue, while also maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty? Meet Valerie! Valerie is the Managing Director of SuiteCX by QuestionPro. She is a senior executive with several start ups under her belt. She has deep experience in the CEM space as well in developing new products/practices at companies such as Pacific Bell, KPMG, PwC and StorageTek. In 2022, under her leadership, SuiteCX was merged into the QuestionPro Group as a wholly owned business. Her focus as managing director remains as the main evangelist, cheer leader and deal-maker for SuiteCX. She has over 25 years experience in building new businesses and making them profitable. Contact info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-peck-4b143

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